Midian
Midian ( ), Madyan (Arabic مدين), or Madiam (Greek Μαδιάμ, Μαδιανίτης for a Midianite) is a geographical place and a people mentioned in the Bible and in the Qur'an. It is believed to be in northwest Arabia on the east shore of the Gulf of AqabaDever, William G. Who were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? William B Eerdmans Publishing Co (24 May 2006) ISBN 978-0802844163 p.34 and the northern Red Sea.The Miracles of Exodus by Colin Humphreys, 2003, ISBN 0-8264-6952-3 Some scholars say it was not a geographical area but a league of tribes.Bromiley Geoffrey W . The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996 ISBN 978-0802837837 p.350 The modern Hebrew pronunciation, "Midyan", is the result of a normal vowel shift changing an "a" sound to an "i" sound (compare Miryam in Hebrew versus Mariam in Greek or Maryam in Arabic). Geographical location and culture Establishing the precise location of Midian is difficult, but the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary suggests that it may have extended from the eastern shores of the Sinai peninsula to the deserts east of the Gulf of Aqabah, Edom and Moab.Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, Midian, Review & Herald Publishing Association (Washington D.C., USA) 1960. The Midianites were nomadic shepherds who traveled in small bands with their goats and sheep and camels in the dry season and moved into larger groups during the lambing or wet season. They lived in tents of goat hair and ate mostly bread, baked in hot charcoals and sand, and dairy products. Their clothing was loose and baggy, both sexes wore tunics, those of the women being thinner with slits running through the sides and a veil covered the head . Religion The Midianites through their apparent religio-political connection with the Moabites ; ; are thought to have worshipped a multitude of godsQur'an, Al-Araf, 7:85, including Baal-peor and the Queen of Heaven, Ashteroth. An Egyptian temple of Hathor at Timna` continued to be used during the Midianite occupation of the site. However, whether Hathor or some other deity was the object of devotion during this period is impossible to ascertain. Historians of the ancient near east offer a theory that indicates that the worship of Yahweh originated in pre-Israelite peoples of the Levant region, specifically in Midian. The Hebrew Bible mentions that Moses first encountered Yahweh as a burning bush in Midian. One hypothesis suggests that rebelling Canaanites, in an effort to create a fresh and uncontaminated national myth, perused the sagas of a minor group of Canaanite slave refugees from Egypt, acquiring the deity Yahweh from the Shasu people of Midian. An Egyptian inscription also makes reference to the Shasu people of Midian by using the name Yahua (Yahweh). Biblical references #Joseph is sold by his brothers to Midianites #Midian was where Moses spent the forty years in voluntary exile after murdering the Egyptian #Moses married Zipporah the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian #God instructs Moses to collect an army and destroy Midian #Israel is oppressed by Midian during the time of the Judges. Gideon is called by God to deliver Israel from Midian's armies. In the Qur'an The people of Midian are also mentioned extensively in the Qur'an, where the name appears in Arabic as Madyan. Sura 9, verse 70 says "Has not the story reached them of those before them? - The people of Nuh (Noah), 'Ad, and Thamud, the people of Ibrahim (Abraham), the dwellers comrades of Madyan (Midian) and the cities overthrown the people to whom Lūt (Lot) preached, to them came their Messengers with clear proofs. So it was not Allah (God, in Arabic) Who wronged them, but they used to wrong themselves." In Sura 7 (Al-A`rāf) Madyan is mentioned as one of several peoples who were warned by prophets to repent lest judgment fall on them. The story of Madyan is the last, coming after that of Lot preaching to his people (referring to the destruction of the Cities of the Plain. Madyan was warned by Shu`ayb to repent of using false weights and measures and lying in wait along the road. But they rejected Shu`ayb, and consequently were destroyed by a tremor (rajfa, v. 91). Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his commentary (1934) writes, "The fate of the Madyan people is described in the same terms as that of the Thamūd in verse 78 above. An earthquake seized them by night, and they were buried in their own homes, no longer to vex Allah's earth. But a supplementary detail is mentioned in Qur'an 26:189, 'the punishment of a day of overshadowing gloom,' which may be understood to mean a shower of ashes and cinders accompanying a volcanic eruption. Thus a day of terror drove them into their homes, and the earthquake finished them." (The volcano Hala-'l Badr is in Madyan.) See also * Yahweh * Balak * Eglon * Ishmaelites * Kedar * History of ancient Israel and Judah * The Bible and history References * Further reading * Clines, David and John Sawyer, eds. "Midian, Moab and Edom: The History and Archaeology of Late Bronze and Iron Age Jordan and North-West Arabia". Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement Series, No. 24. Sheffield Academic Press, 1983. External links * Singer, Isidore and M. Seligsohn. "Midian and Midianites". Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901–1906, which cites to: * Archaeology of Timna * Another Timna archaeology site * Richard Burton's account of his travels in "The Land of Midian" * [http://www.gemsinisrael.com/e_article000002707.htm Spring of Harod - Ma'ayan Harod] Category:Midian Category:Hebrew Bible nations Category:Ancient Jewish Egyptian history ar:مدين (مدينة) ca:Madian da:Midjan de:Midian el:Μαδιάμ fa:مدین fr:Madian it:Madian he:מדין nl:Midjan ja:ミデヤン人 pt:Midiã ru:Мадианитяне sv:Midjan Kelimenin geçtiği ayetler Kategori:Medyen